Re: [boost] Proposal for moving Boost to CMake

Subject: Re: [boost] Proposal for moving Boost to CMake
From: Robert Ramey (ramey_at_[hidden])
Date: 2017-06-18 21:20:19

On 6/18/17 2:09 PM, P F via Boost wrote:

>> So it sounds like you're interested in making Boost a more satisfying experience for users of Boost Libraries.  A worthy consideration which I believe many of use would support.  I would support a working FindBoost for example as I use CMake to build ide.  Sounds like you have something in mind like FindBoostSerialization, FindBoostHana, etc.
> 
> No, something like boost_serialization-config.cmake or boost_hana-config.cmake. Find modules are for third-party libraries that don’t support cmake consumers.
> 
>> Which might also be interesting - but it has nothing to do with library development.
> 
> It does, because each library knows its usage requirements and when they will change, thus each library should provide that to the users.
> 
>> FindBoost can be made to work without boost developers doing anything differently.  Why not make a separate project FindBoostxxx and include all anything you want there.  The you don't have convince anyone to do anything, all you have to do is do it.
> 
> This does work currently because cmake developers have reversed-engineered the usage requirements, so I can write something like this in cmake:
> 
> find_package(Boost)
> target_link_libraries(myLib boost::asio)
> 
> However, when I upgrade boost, I need to upgrade cmake as well. There really shouldn’t be a coupling between cmake and boost, like that. Instead each library can provide the cmake configuration, and we can update cmake’s FindBoost module to look for these configuration files, or the user can just call them directly with `find_package(boost_asio)`.

So ... you want to add a file  boost_serialization-config.cmake to 
boost-root/libs/serialiation Right?  That's all?  I think we've already 
acceded to the request that library authors are permitted to add CMake 
and other support files to thier directories.  So we're done here?

With all due respect, getting a concrete proposal from you is like 
pulling teeth.  I know you're well meaning, but I need more help here.

Robert Ramey